Ceramides and glycosphingolipids in maturation process: leukemic cells as an experimental model.

Leukemic cells were used as experimental material to demonstrate changes in the content of GSLs during the development and maturation of neutrophils. The most abundant cellular GSL is LacCer. An elevation in the LacCer level occurs twice during the maturation process: initially, on formation of azurophil granules, and subsequently, (a more significant rise) on formation of specific granules.

Family with Li-Fraumeni syndrome and no evidence of a germline mutation of the p53 gene or chromosomal aberrations.

Li-Fraumeni syndrome is a rare autosomal, dominant trait of diverse types of cancers in children and young adults, with a predominance of soft tissue sarcomas, osteosarcomas, brain tumours, adrenocortical and breast carcinomas, as well as leukaemias. We present a family with an unusual cancer history fulfilling the criteria of Li-Fraumeni syndrome. Mutational analysis of the p53 gene in constitutional DNA of several affected members of the family did not show any germline p53 defect.

[Chronic eosinophilic leukemia].

In this research one case of chronic myelogenous eosinophilic leukemia (pbe) transformed into myeloblastic crisis in male patient aged 24, efficiently treated chemotherapy with following performing allogenic bone marrow transplantation was represented. The patients was admitted to the Department of Hematology with the cause of increased leucocytosis (up to 19.9 x 10(9)/l), eosinophilia (up to 15.

[Leukostasis syndrome in a case of chronic lymphocytic leukemia].

The leukostasis syndrome is rare complication of leukemias with extremely high white cell counts. It occurs most frequently in chronic myelosis or acute leukemias and is exceptional in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). A severe leukostasis syndrome was observed in a case of CLL with peripheral lymphocyte count of 1,120 G/L.

Blood plasma pseudouridine in patients with malignant proliferative diseases.

The blood plasma concentration of pseudouridine was estimated in 104 healthy adult subjects, and 108 patients suffering from malignant proliferative diseases. The HPLC method for simultaneous determination of pseudouridine and creatinine was applied. The average physiological concentration of pseudouridine in blood plasma was 2.

Comparison of urinary neopterin and pseudouridine in patients with malignant proliferative diseases.

The HPLC method for the simultaneous determination of urinary neopterin, pseudouridine, and creatinine allows a rapid evaluation of the activation state of cell-mediated immunity, and the stimulation of whole-body rRNA + tRNA turnover, associated with malignant growth. Urinary neopterin and pseudouridine concentrations in healthy subjects amounted to: 106.6 +/- 34.

[A case of eosinophilic leukemia].

The clinical course and diagnostic difficulties in a case of eosinophilic leukaemia are described. For a long time period the case showed clinical manifestations of a hypereosinophilia syndrome. Shortly before death clinical signs of leukaemia developed, and the diagnosis was confirmed on autopsy.

Heterogeneity of cytoplasmic and nuclear shape of lymphocytes during progression of chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Peripheral blood from ten healthy subjects and from 44 patients at stages 0, I, II, III, IV of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), type B, was routinely smeared, fixed and stained by the May-Grunwald-Giemsa method. Fourier analysis of nuclear and cytoplasmic shape of smeared lymphocytes was carried out for the range 1-20 of harmonics (describing the pattern of contour folding in quantitative terms). In addition the roughness coefficients (describing the summarized measure of contour folding of an individual cell) were calculated and computer evaluated.

Analysis of chromatin pattern in blood lymphocytes of healthy donors and in lymphoid cells of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia.

The optical Fourier transformation was used to analyse the chromatin/interchromatin pattern of lymphocytes of healthy subjects and lymphoid cells of patients with chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL, type B, stage O). Peripheral blood smears were prepared routinely, fixed, and stained by the Feulgen method, and the photographic images of the nuclei were quantitatively analysed. From the radial distribution of light intensity of diffractograms, several Feulgen chromatin (F-chromatin/interchromatin) descriptors were evaluated.

Fourier analysis of nuclear and cytoplasmic shape of blood lymphoid cells from healthy donors and chronic lymphocytic leukemia patients.

The folding rates of the contours of nuclei and entire lymphoid cells were analyzed by Fourier analysis of the shapes. Smears of peripheral blood from healthy subjects and from patients with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL: type B, stage zero) were routinely prepared and stained. The shapes of lymphoid cells from CLL patients revealed a higher folding rate (from fifth to tenth harmonics) than did those of lymphocytes from healthy subjects.

The double gammopathies. Clinical and immunological studies.

A retrospective review of 1135 patients with paraproteinemias recorded 28 (2.5%) as having two M components. This group included 11 patients with myeloma, 6 with lymphoproliferative disease, 5 with a nonlymphoproliferative malignancy, and 6 with a double gammopathy of undetermined significance.

Immune condition in patients with Hodgkin's disease.

In 40 cases of Hodgkin's disease (24 untreated patients and 16 patients in remission) the immunological humoral and cell-mediated competence was studied using test of hypersensitivity of DNCB and PPD, blastic transformation and the ability of 3H-DNA synthesis in lymphocytes stimulated with PHA and PWM, and in some cases, with PPD. In all patients the concentration of serum immunoglobulins was determined as well. Impairment of immunological reactivity was found in about 40% of patients, on the average, in various stages of the disease and during remissions following treatment with cytostatic agents and radiotherapy.

Cell-mediated and humoral types of immunologic immunity in idiopathic pancytopenia.

In a majority of 34 patients (including 30 treated with androgens and glucocorticosteroids), the absolute lymphocyte count, percentage of the T population and its reactivity in vitro to PHA, PWM and sheep erythrocytes were normal. In one fourth of cases, serum levels of IgG and/or IgM classes of immunoglobulins were decreased. The deviations in levels of serum immunoglobulins, and in some patients in the lymphocyte count and in the T population and its reactivity to antigens were attributed to complex causes, including immunosuppressive treatment with adrenal glucocorticosteroids.

[Analysis of 300 cases of secondary pancytopenia].

Clinical analysis of 300 cases of secondary pancytopenia treated in a period of 10 years is reported. The disease was more frequent in women than in men. The most frequent single cause were drugs, among them chloramphenicol.

Lymphocyte response in in vitro cultures to some mitogens, and serum immunoglobulin levels in aged subjects.

Capacity of lympocytes for blastic transformation in in vitro cultures under the influence of PHA and PWM was studied in 40 subjects aged 20--60 years and in 43 aged 60--100 years. In the higher age group, in about 25% of cases, low percentages of blasts in cultures stimulated with PHA and PWM were observed. In 101 subjects aged 65--100 years, the mean level of IgA in serum was significantly higher compared with the 20--40-year age group.